“We all heard him on Thanksgiving.” Grandpa threw his arms into the air, and sounded like he couldn’t believe none of them would see the obvious. “He didn’t go to Austin to help any of us. He called it ‘self preservation’, if you care to remember. He let Claire and Ava live with him because he needed someone to help him while he couldn’t even get dressed by himself. And he’s helping you renovate this place because, in case you didn’t notice, there’s a third room here! So, now that Claire is taking college courses as well, I bet you he’ll tell her to move here with Ava, so he’ll get his apartment for himself again.”
Looking around the room, I saw most of the family shuffle around in discomfort while exchanging pleading glances between themselves. It seemed to me like they wanted to refute his arguments, but simply didn’t know how. And that’s when it hit me and my anger vanished in an instant.
Half a year ago, after I had dealt with the bookie and wanted to go back into my apartment, they wanted me to stay. I asked them all for a reason to believe their assurances about things being different now, though they couldn’t think of anything. What stood out to me in this moment, however, was the fact that everyone had the exact same look and demeanor as back then. It made me wonder where we would be today if I had been able to give them the benefit of a doubt back then.
“Huh. I see your point.” I said calmly. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Instead of retorting, Grandpa took a look around the room and, not finding any support, let out an annoyed tone, shook his head, and wordlessly left.
“I’m sorry, Darling.” Mom said, giving me a worried look.
Since she was still hugging me in that protective and comforting way, I placed my arm around her waist, hugged her back, and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. I really do understand where he’s coming from. He’s where I was half a year ago.”
Mom looked at me open mouthed, though my attention was drawn away from her when I heard John groan.
“No, he’s not. You had good reasons to not trust us anymore. He...” John paused to let out a sigh. “He KNOWS that there’s no way for Claire to get that investment account. I explained that to him after we had that meeting with the investment firm, and they showed us the contract that doesn’t allow for a split of the account. Whether she demands her half or gives it away, it doesn’t make a difference in the amount of money she would get out of it. And, please, tell me where your personal gain was when you got stabbed in that parking lot! It’s so frustrating to argue with him. It’s like I’m talking to a wall!”
I had to smirk at that, since I had no doubt that was also how Grandpa felt when he tried to force me into compliance. An impression Granny quickly confirmed, as she stepped next to her son and fixed me with an apologetic look.
“Please, Pumpkin, don’t be mad at him.” she pleaded. “Claire will always be his little girl, no matter how old she gets.” she looked into space while shaking her head. “He’ll come around. Just know, I do not blame you for this in any way. And I can’t blame you for how long it took us to fix this.”
“If only there was a way to prove to him that you don’t care about the money.” Danny said, while throwing a strained look to the sports bag in John’s hand.
“Yes. If only.” I mused, not yet ready to make that announcement, before turning back to Mom. “Anyway, are you ready to go?”
She nodded in confirmation and we said our goodbyes.
The drive over to HCC was quiet, though my thoughts kept going back to the confrontation with Grandpa. Truth was, if I truly didn’t care about the family anymore, it wouldn’t have hurt so much when they ignored and discarded me. I just still had trouble admitting how much I cared.
All the while, I could see Mom throw concerned looks my way from the corner of my eye, while she was fidgeting around with her hands. Though, she didn’t actually say anything until I parked the car and was about to open the door.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Darling?” Mom asked suddenly, still looking worried.
“Yes.” I gave her another reassuring smile. “Though, I really don’t get what I did to him. Why does he mistrust me so much?”
Curiously, that question made her look at her feet like she was ashamed.
“You didn’t do anything to him.” she started in a careful and calculated tone. “He’s been that way since ... Since we met you on Christmas Eve.”
When I thought back to that day, I couldn’t suppress a small scoff.
“So, he’s angry at me because I didn’t come home when you asked?” I inquired, causing her fidgeting hands to move even faster.
“No. He’s angry because you ignored my reaction to your refusal to come home.” she clarified quietly. “He still thinks you should have swallowed your pride and shown ‘
